A Weekend with Family

Wynston recently spent several days out of town with work, including being gone over the weekend. So Little Miss and I packed up and took ourselves down to my parents for the weekend. We got to spend lots of time with family, including my brother's two girls. Ava loves all her cousins and it's so fun watching them all play. It was a nice way to spend a cold weekend. But we sure were glad when Wynston got back home Tuesday. Ava even got to show off her new skill for her dad: running in circles. Literally. :)

Hanging out in our pj's and houseshoes.

Waving to Daddy.

Big girl coloring.

"Stop taking my picture!!"

"Seriously!! No pictures!"

More waving to her dad.

Big Girl Things

It's hard not to feel like Ava has really changed from a baby to a big girl in the last couple of months. She can do so many things on her own. She can hold conversations with you and talk in her little sentences..."Diva eat pretzels, please?" Haha, yes she pronounces her own name as Diva...which is so fitting. She's can tell you if she's hot, and makes a good, sometimes successful, attempt at taking some clothes off. She's making good ground in potty training, going on the potty often and letting you know before she goes (though we're still not pushing this too much). She eats like a horse. The past few nights, before bed, she will tell us "I go take a nap", then she gives us our hugs and kisses and walks into her room. We haven't given her a binky at bedtime for two nights now, and she hasn't missed it a bit. Plus so many other things.

Here are some pictures of other big girl things in Little Miss' life right now:

This big girl has 2 kitchens. Here is her first kitchen, which we've recently moved up to Grandma Cheryl and Grandpa Randy's. We really don't need two play kitchens in our home. And sometimes, you find a girl in her pajamas and winter coat, with a hankering for a play snack.  :)

This is Ava's new play kitchen. I really love the colors on this one, and it matches our house and Ava's play house quite well!

If this isn't a big girl picture, I don't know what is. Little Miss looking MUCH older than her 20 months.

Here's Ava sitting contentedly at her dad's work bench, playing quietly. She'll do this for soo long.

...Until she catches you trying to take her picture. Then she'll make a rasberry tongue at you. PFFFFT!

What big girl is complete without a backpack. Trying to take her picture with this backpack was...challenging. It involved Ava running all over the house, including climbing up onto our bed, with me following her around with my camera.

Another backpack shot, from a different day. This day's activities included bringing Mom's missing watch back to our attention in that small glass cube, then laying down on the floor to count the 5 dead (or mabye dormant) ladybugs she'd stashed with that watch. What IS it with her room and ladybugs?!

Here's Ava with a hat she likes to put on herself...and she does a pretty good job of getting it on right! This is also her CHEESE! face. :)

Mistletoe Memories

I know, KNOW that we took some adorable pictures of Ava and Wynston under our mistletoe last year. But I can't find them. So here's our 2013 Mistletoe pictures. I can't wait to see next years!

"OH! What's this? Let me get my hands on it!"

"Mommy...want to see what I found?!"

Kiss from Daddy.

Kiss from Little Miss

And anymore, a lot of kisses are followed by big bear hugs!

2013 Johnson Christmas

Since Christmas fell in the middle of the week this past year, we were able to really spread out our Christmas' and get more quality time in with all of our family. It was such a nice change of holiday pace for us! Here are pictures from Christmas morning, where we always meet at Wynston's parents for breakfast and presents, as well as Christmas with the Johnson aunts, uncles and cousins later that week! There were lots of kids running around and having a great time.

Passing out presents on Christmas morning.

Opening some great geometric stacking blocks.

Cousin Brooklyn and one of the twins...I think this is Leonnie. (Sorry if it's Evonnie, Carly!)





Cute girls in a wagon!

Trying out some new play shoes and a purse the next day.

She's so good at walking in these! It's hilarious.

Christmas at Grandma and Poppy's

Every Christmas Eve we meet with my parents and my brother's family to do our small Replogle Christmas gathering. Since the next few days are usually full of large family gatherings and meals, the goal of this night is easy food, focus on family. So this year was pizza, and squeeling little girl cousins running all over the place. I love how much the kids love passing out the presents before we open them. It's the little things...ya know?

This year my mom wrapped our gifts in butcher paper, and used old pictures of us for the tags. That box Ava is holding has a picture of me, at 3ish, with my one and only perm. :)



My parents got Ava this ADORABLE car. Here is Ava figuring out where the seat is versus the floorboard, ha!

 

"Is this really mine?"

"Seriously Mom...this is MY car?!"

"All right!!! My own car!"

2013 Christmas At Home

This past Christmas really lived up to all of my dreams. Our Little Miss has such an enthusiastic spirit, and I knew she'd love the festivities and family gatherings. I counted down the days, and loved living them out. But now that the holidays are over, it feels good to slow down and get back to a normal routine. I'm going to break up my Christmas blog posts by family, so here is how we celebrated around our home.

Aside from the ear infection, we did some decorating, some hot chocolate sipping, some wrapping paper taping and tearing, some Santa line waiting, and many many trips to check out the "Tistmas Tree!".

Begging for a Christmas toy at Lowes of all places!

Pretty red holiday nails. "Paint Pingers!"

A fun new stick horse. Now LOTS of things are being rode around like a stick horse. :)

Tracking down this adorable pink and purple dump truck was not as easy as I wish it had been, but I love it soo much.

Yep...a case of Ice Pops under the tree!

We went with two styles of Christmas Cards this year.

Winter Weather, plus a bit of Then and Now

Brrr...it's bitter cold outside! Right now, as I write this, it's -5 degrees with several inches of snow on the ground. We are not being cheated of our winter weather this year. I've already blogged about Ava's December sledding adventures, and as soon as it warms up, I'm looking forward to more sledding. Here are a few more pictures from the last snow storm (back in December).

Cheesing it up for the camera.

Nice and cold like an ice pop, but not quite as yummy.




December 2013 Snow Ice Cream

 

March 2013 Snow Ice Cream, amazingly that vest still fits.